Warning! Clutter is Bad for Your Health

 

Is your home environment an oasis of calm and tranquillity or do you feel like it’s a constant battle to keep your house tidy and organised? Well, if you struggle to keep your home free from clutter, you are not alone. With full time jobs and busy lives, keeping on top of household organisation is difficult for many.

 

The problem is that in our consumer-driven society it’s easy to find your home quickly fills with clutter. Whether it’s overflowing drawers and cupboards or piles of paperwork and unloved toys, living amidst chaos and clutter isn’t pleasant and can even be harmful to your health.

 

Clutter may seem like a trivial problem but has been linked to anxiety, exhaustion and depression. People often find it hard to be positive or motivated when surrounded by an untidy environment and living amidst mess can put a strain on relationships too – particularly when family members criticise one another for the clutter.

 

Your physical health can also be impacted by clutter. For example, a mountain of stuffed toys in the bedroom is a haven for dust mites. Pet hair and dust gathering amongst clutter can aggravate allergies. An office overflowing with paperwork and electrical equipment could be a fire hazard. And odds and ends in hallways or on staircases can be a trip hazard or could prevent you escaping quickly in the event of a fire.

 

The problem is that once the clutter gets out of control it can be difficult to find the time to get your home back in order. And when faced with a house full of mess, many people struggle to know where to start.

 

The solution is to start small. Trying to deal with the whole house in one go is unrealistic and if you take on too much at once, it’s easy to become disheartened and give up.  So don’t think about trying to sort out the whole house or even a whole cupboard in one go. Instead, break the task down into small manageable chunks – and spend just five minutes at a time sorting things out. Five minutes might not sound long but it’s amazing how much you can actually get done. For example, if you have an untidy wardrobe that is bursting at the seams, spend just five minutes pulling out a few items that can be taken to the charity shop. If you spend a few minutes each day doing this, by the end of the week, you’ll find that your wardrobe is much more organised. Or if your kitchen cupboards need cleaning don’t try to organise them all at once – instead keep a rubbish bag, cloth and detergent to hand and sort out just one shelf at a time. Perhaps each time you are waiting for the kettle to boil you could sort just one shelf. Alternatively, a really quick way to make a start on clutter is to go from room to room with two bin bags – one for rubbish and one for the charity shop.

 

To find out more about how clutter could be causing negativity in your life – as well as tips for dealing with clutter, visit: www.clutter.co.uk

Categories: charity shop, Clutter, health nbsp, house, minutes, nbsp, time

Humidity Struggles: Tips to Help You Adapt Your Home to Added Moisture

 

Excess humidity in the home does much more than make the environment uncomfortable. It can significantly contribute to the structural damage of your home on many different levels. Failing to take the steps necessary to adjust for the excess moisture can eventually cause ongoing health problems as well. By exploring the following solutions for excess moisture and humidity in the home, you can protect your health and your most substantial investment.


The Initial Red Flags

With humidity, problems can begin to develop in the walls of the home. As humid air begins to accumulate in these spaces, wood can become saturated, leading to mold growth. The excess moisture can also cause paint to begin to bubble and peel. Fighting these problems involves increasing the amount of insulation that is present in addition to caulking and replacing weather stripping along vulnerable areas and cracks. Your windows might be one vulnerable area, which is why you should think about installing plantation window shutters and screens which will block bugs and debris, while still allowing in outside air to dry these areas.

 

Stagnant Storage

Proper storage of clothing, food, and other types of perishables can become a problem when excess moisture is in the air. When the humidity exceeds 60 percent, metal in canned goods begins to rust, while clothes are eaten away by mildew. Reducing the likelihood of this kind of damage can be done by taking advantage of certain chemical absorbents and ensuring proper ventilation. For instance, silica-gel packets can drastically lower the moisture content of the air in closets and food pantries.


Trouble From Below

The next area where moisture damage begins to make itself known right away is in flooring and carpeting. Excess moisture can move up through flooring from the basement of the home. Once mold is present in carpets and floor, it can be extremely difficult to remove, often requiring the expertise of professionals for a complete cleansing. Again, the movement of air is critical in fighting off this kind of damage. Proper air-conditioning units can be invaluable in spaces where this kind of damage is a risk. Make sure you have a good unit installed that will work to dry as well as move air.

 

The Systems of the Home

Condensation resulting from excess humidity can quickly lead to issues with pipes and the tanks for toilets. This resting water also creates a fertile breeding ground for mold, mildew, and other harmful growths when left unchecked. The warning signs for this type of damage include regular beading of water on the outside of the fixtures and pipes. However, the problem can easily be remedied by installing insulation that is waterproof on the interior of the tank. Water pipes can also be wrapped using traditional insulation and duct tape.

 

Fight moisture at every point it enters your home. In addition to the above precautions, homeowners can benefit from humidifiers that are designed to lower the moisture content in environments where these kinds of dangers are present.

 

Categories: environment, Family, health, Home, house, humid, structure

War on the Homefront: Best Ways to Win Against Disease in Your House

 

By Brooke Chaplan

 

The home is where families feel the most comfortable and relaxed. It is the place where you are tucked away from the world, safe within your own haven. But germs can post a threat to your health and happiness even at home. From the laundry room to the bedroom, bacteria is surprisingly resilient when it comes to surviving and even thriving within a home. For those that are ready to win the war against viruses and diseases lingering in their own home, it is important to take a methodical approach to cleaning.

 

Start with Hand Washing

Hand washing should be a consistent habit for any family, especially when flu season begins to roll around. Every sink in the home should have anti-bacterial soap, and the entire family should thoroughly wash their hands for at least 20 or 30 seconds when they first get home, before touching anything in the kitchen, and after exercising.

 

Replacing Hygienic Items

Hygienic items are actually a breeding ground for bacteria, and one of the most likely places to contract an illness. Some of the most common items to be careful of include toothbrushes, hairbrushes, and razors. These items should be changed as often as possible, and replaced immediately after a family member has gotten ill.

 

A Look at the Laundry Room

While a washing machine was designed to remove bacteria from the clothes, the actual tub within these appliances is the ideal environment for bacteria. With heat and moisture, bacteria can spread to clothing with each and every load, and this is why these appliances should be sterilized at least once a week. This can be done by running the washing machine on empty and the highest settings with one cup of bleach.

 

Removing Bugs and Critters

Having bugs and other critters around the home is pretty natural for most of us, yet many do not realize that it is one of the most common ways pathogens are spread. Animals such as cockroaches and rats can spread diseases ranging from E. coli to salmonella. This is why all homeowners should regularly schedule appointments with a Surrey pest control pest detective at least twice a year, or any time visible signs of an infestation are seen.

 

Beds and Pillows

Beds and bedspreads are not only a good place for mold and germs to spread, residents will continue to be exposed to them night after night. All linens should be washed once a week, and pillows should be replaced yearly. The mattresses themselves should be replaced every seven years, dependent on use.

From dust mites to microbes, one can never be too careful in their own home. With a wealth of bacteria throughout your property, these habits should become second nature in order to avoid common illnesses.

 

Categories: Disease, homefront, house, ways

Encourage Your Kids To Enjoy Exercise More With These Tips

The school holidays come around all too quickly, and all of a sudden you’re trying to think of ways to make sure your kids don’t spend the whole time sitting in front of the TV. Summer holidays, in particular, is so long that you need to have a few tricks up your sleeve to help keep them active. Times have changed from when kids used to spend the summer biking around their local area and playing football in the park; they now spend time playing video games and browsing the internet. While it may seem they’re safer, it doesn’t do anything for their health. We all need to get out of the house regularly to get some sunshine and some fresh air, and kids are no different. Here are some ways to get the kids up and out, so that they can keep fit, enjoy the sunshine and have fun all at the same time.

Limit their screen time

TV, video games and computers may have their benefits, but too much time spent staring at a screen can have a damaging effect. The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends that children under the age of two have no screen time at all, whereas children over the age of two don’t watch any more than one to two hours of TV or video games each day. If you offer your kids an alternative then they will be less tempted to spend all of their holidays inside.

Buy some basics

You may not have a full gym in your house, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep some basics in the house to make exercising easier. A few balls, such as a football and basketball, a skipping rope, and even a bike if you have the room, will be great essentials to give your kids the incentive to move more. Better yet, it gets them  outside.

Take the kids outside

Of course, you can exercise indoors. But getting the kids outside is likely to get them moving more and also gets them their daily dose of vitamin D. Why not take the kids down to the local park for a kickabout, or go swimming for half an hour? You can even use such activities as a reward for chores around the house – a 30 minute session down the park in exchange for taking out the rubbish in the morning or making their bed.

Give them things to do

Often, the problem for children is finding something that’s available to them. This is where buying things for the house, such as footballs, comes in handy. But if you put some more thought into it, it can be even more exciting for your kids. Why not make a scavenger hunt? At each station, give them a clue and an activity that they need to complete before moving on to the next location – this could be something like jumping jacks, push-ups or a lap around the garden. At the end, you could give them a reward to make it even more enticing.

Take up an activity

If you have the facilities nearby, why not set your kids up on a fun course? Dancing, karate or swimming are all great options, where they’ll have fun, keep fit and even make some new friends along the way.Check out the classes at your local gym or activity centre – you may even find that they have special summer classes available that are especially designed to keep kids entertained during the holidays.

Categories: exercise, fitness, holidays, house, Kids, Screen time, spend, time, Video Games